The traditional fair at the Hosa Margudi temple in Udupi, on the coast of Karnataka, has never discriminated between Hindus and Muslims who set up stalls. Every year, about 100 Muslim merchants join Hindu stall owners in setting up stalls. This time, though, Muslim sellers have been banned.
After posters appeared across Karnataka urging that Muslims be barred from attending temple fairs, the state government promised to take action. ‘We went to meet the temple committee members,’ Mohammad Arif, the General Secretary of the Udupi Street Vendors Association, said. ‘However, they told us that the slots would be auctioned only to Hindus, and we had no choice but to accept. They are surely under pressure,’ he added.
Officials in charge of the temple admit that right-wing organisations exerted pressure on them. ‘Yes, right-wing organisations put pressure on us… after talks, we decided to ban,’ stated Prashanth Shetty, Executive Officer of Hosa Marigudi Temple. Non-Hindus cannot be given temple buildings or plots, according to the Endowments Act. For years, however, Hindus and Muslims have coexisted peacefully at the Hosa Marigudi temple fair.
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